Plan Description
The objectives of the M.S.A.E. degree are to provide a quality graduate educational program that will complement the existing undergraduate and graduate curricula in mechanical engineering. The aerospace graduate program will improve and enhance the capabilities of those students seeking careers in the aerospace field and supporting engineering work for the aerospace and aviation technology community. The majority of students seeking the M.S.A.E. degree will have undergraduate degrees in the fields of mechanical or aerospace engineering, or closely related fields of engineering, applied physics, or applied mathematics; some will already have graduate degrees in the more conventional areas of engineering or the sciences. Those individuals with engineering (as well as physical science) interests will use the M.S.A.E. to develop careers as well as improve their skills in the aerospace and aviation industry. Students enrolling in the program on a full-time basis will likely assist engineering faculty in obtaining sponsored project funding and performing innovative aerospace and aviation engineering research.
Learning Outcomes
www.unlv.edu/degree/msae-aerospace-engineering
Plan Admission Requirements
In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate College, an applicant for the M.S. program must complete the following requirements:
- Applicants must complete the on-line process in the “Apply Yourself (AY)” system.
- In addition to the required information in the general AY application system, the Mechanical Engineering Department has two additional requirements which can also be submitted in the AY system as optional items. Electronic submission is the preferred method. If these items are not completed in the AY system before you finish and make payment, you cannot go back and do them electronically afterwards. In this case, you must mail hardcopies to the Mechanical Engineering Department. The two items are:
- A written statement of purpose indicating interests and objectives in working toward a M.S. degree.
- Two letters of recommendation. There is no specified format. Your references should point out the qualifications that make you a good candidate for admission.
- The applicant must have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a closely related discipline. Students with non-engineering backgrounds will be required to complete a set of course work requirements that will assure successful completion of the M.S. specialization and qualify the student to sit for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. The Graduate Program Committee (GPC) will decide upon special cases.
- The applicant must submit his/her official copy of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores. To be admitted to the graduate program in Mechanical Engineering, the applicant must be at or above the 75 percentile range (of the group taking the GRE when the applicant takes the exam) in the quantitative reasoning section of the exam. If the applicant is less than 75 percent, at the discretion of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the applicant may be provisionally admitted to the graduate program with the requirement that he/she retake the GRE during the first semester after admission. If the applicant fails to retake the GRE during the first semester after admission or if the applicant fails to be at or above the 75 percent range in the quantitative reasoning section of the exam after retaking the exam, at its discretion, the Department of Mechanical Engineering may remove the applicant from the graduate program. The GRE university code for UNLV is 4861. The Mechanical Engineering Department code is 1502.
- The GPC will examine the applicant’s academic record and will make the final determination of the applicant’s admissibility to the M.S. program. In general, a minimum post baccalaureate GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale or equivalent is required for admission in addition to a GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale or equivalent in all engineering courses.
- All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.
Our department admissions committee looks at all of these requirements when making admissions decisions.
The Integrated BS-MS degree program is designed to provide high-achieving MEG undergraduate students with the opportunity to be exposed to graduate courses and to encourage them to continue with graduate degree by reducing the time needed for degree completion. Up to nine credit hours of approved graduate-level course work can be taken as technical electives for the grade of B or better during the senior year and those credit hours will be waived for the graduate degree. The following conditions are needed to enroll in the Integrated BS-MS program:
- A minimum of two semesters of full-time enrollment in B.S. of Mechanical Engineering program is required.
- Applications are normally submitted with two semesters remaining in the senior year.
- A minimum of 90 credit hours of course work applicable to the B.S. of Mechanical Engineering degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher must be completed before beginning the joint degree program.
- Student has to choose the thesis option.
Subplan 2 Requirements: Thesis Track
Total Credits Required: 30
Course Requirements
Required Courses – Credits: 9
Complete three of the following courses:
ME 609 - Turbomachinery
ME 700 - Advanced Fluid Mechanics I
ME 701 - Advanced Fluid Mechanics II
ME 702 - Computational Fluid Dynamics
ME 705 - Conduction Heat Transfer
ME 706 - Convective Heat Transfer
ME 740 - Advanced Dynamics
ME 741 - Energy and Variational Methods in Applied Mechanics I
Core Courses – Credits: 6
Complete two of the following courses:
ME 704 - Finite Element Applications in Mechanical Engineering
ME 711 - Advanced Thermodynamics
ME 717 - Transport Phenomena
ME 720 - Acoustics I
ME 721 - Acoustics II
ME 725 - Vibrations I
ME 726 - Vibrations II
ME 729 - Advanced Robotics
ME 774 - Introduction to Theory of Elasticity and Plasticity I
ME 777 - Application of High-Performance Computing Methods in Science and Engineering
Elective Courses – Credits: 9
Complete 9 credits of elective coursework from within the College of Engineering. Courses from outside the College of Engineering may be taken with advisor approval.
Thesis – Credits: 6
ME 797 - Thesis in Mechanical Engineering
Degree Requirements
- Requires 24 credits of approved graduate courses plus six credits of work associated with the master’s level thesis, for a total of 30 credits. At least 15 credits must be earned from 700-level courses, and at least 15 credits must be in engineering. The final examination will include a defense of thesis.
- Satisfactory progress is defined as filing an approved program before the completion of nine credits of course work, completion of at least six credits of the approved program per calendar year, maintenance of a GPA of 3.00 (4.00 scale), no grades below C, (C- is not acceptable) and compliance with the letter and spirit of the Graduate Catalog and published policies of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. If progress is not satisfactory, probation and separation may result, in accordance with the rules of the Graduate College. Any student whose GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on probation and will have one semester to raise it to 3.00 or above.
- Only those courses in which a student received a grade of C or better may be used for graduate credit. Students must comply with Graduate College policy.
- In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a thesis committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.
- Each student’s program should show suitable breadth and coherence. As specified in the Graduate Catalog, the program of study will be developed by the student and advisor and filed with the Graduate College. Prior to filing, the program must receive approval by the student’s committee. An approved program must be filed before the completion of nine credits of course work after admission (regular or provisional). The responsibility rests with the student. Students will be dropped from the graduate engineering program if they neglect this requirement.
Graduation Requirements
- The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
- The student must submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
- The student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted hard-copy thesis to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.
Subplan 3 Requirements: Integrated BS-MS Track
Total Credits Required: 21-27
Course Requirements
Required Courses – Credits: 9
Complete three of the following courses:
ME 609 - Turbomachinery
ME 700 - Advanced Fluid Mechanics I
ME 701 - Advanced Fluid Mechanics II
ME 702 - Computational Fluid Dynamics
ME 705 - Conduction Heat Transfer
ME 706 - Convective Heat Transfer
ME 740 - Advanced Dynamics
ME 741 - Energy and Variational Methods in Applied Mechanics I
Core Courses – Credits: 6
Complete two of the following courses:
ME 704 - Finite Element Applications in Mechanical Engineering
ME 711 - Advanced Thermodynamics
ME 717 - Transport Phenomena
ME 720 - Acoustics I
ME 721 - Acoustics II
ME 725 - Vibrations I
ME 726 - Vibrations II
ME 729 - Advanced Robotics
ME 774 - Introduction to Theory of Elasticity and Plasticity I
ME 777 - Application of High-Performance Computing Methods in Science and Engineering
Electives – Credits: 0-6
Complete 0-6 credits of elective coursework from within the College of Engineering. Courses from outside the College of Engineering may be taken with advisor approval.
Thesis – Credits: 6
ME 797 - Thesis in Mechanical Engineering
Degree Requirements
- Total credits required depends on the total number of approved graduate-level course work taken as technical electives (with a grade of B or better) during the senior year.
- Requires 15-21 credits of approved graduate courses plus six credits of work associated with the master’s level thesis, for a total of 21-27 credits. At least 15 credits must be earned from 700-level courses, and at least 15 credits must be in engineering. The final examination will include a defense of thesis.
- Satisfactory progress is defined as filing an approved program before the completion of nine credits of course work, completion of at least six credits of the approved program per calendar year, maintenance of a GPA of 3.00 (4.00 scale), no grades below C, (C- is not acceptable) and compliance with the letter and spirit of the Graduate Catalog and published policies of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. If progress is not satisfactory, probation and separation may result, in accordance with the rules of the Graduate College. Any student whose GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on probation and will have one semester to raise it to 3.00 or above.
- Only those courses in which a student received a grade of C or better may be used for graduate credit. Students must comply with Graduate College policy.
- In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a thesis committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.
- Each student’s program should show suitable breadth and coherence. As specified in the Graduate Catalog, the program of study will be developed by the student and advisor and filed with the Graduate College. Prior to filing, the program must receive approval by the student’s committee. An approved program must be filed before the completion of nine credits of course work after admission (regular or provisional). The responsibility rests with the student. Students will be dropped from the graduate engineering program if they neglect this requirement.
Graduation Requirements
- The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
- The student must submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
- The student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted hard-copy thesis to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.
Print this Page
Return to: